Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele has opened a case with police to find out who opened an account for the party to receive a refund from the International Electoral Commission (IEC), a spokesperson said on Friday.

This follows a fraud case opened at the Centurion police station by the party’s chairperson Mike Tshishonga for the same reason.

“Mamphela also opened a case to find out who opened this account and how it came to be,” Agang SA spokepserson Mark Peach said.

“Mike and Mamphela would both like to know the circumstances around this account.”

The “party-political account” was set up to receive a refund from the commission following the May 7 general election.

The refund was presumed to be around R200 000.

“Once police investigate then we will know. Mamphela did not open the account,” he said, reacting to reports in the New Age that Ramphele was believed to be behind the account. “We don’t know who opened the account, and it’s too early to say anything.
Until an investigation has happened, we simply don’t know.”

FraudOn Thursday, Peach rubbished claims by the newspaper that Tshishonga opened a fraud case against Ramphele for being behind it.

The newspaper at the time reported on its website that Tshishonga accused Ramphele of having direct access to party funds, and that she opened a bank account to access the IEC deposit without a mandate from the party.

Peach dismissed the allegation, and said the signatory to the account was Tshishonga.

But on Friday the New Age reported that Tshishonga opened the case because his signature appeared on the bank account without his knowledge.

In a statement, Agang SA’s Western Cape spokesperson Monica Graaff said no suspect was mentioned in the case opened by Tshishonga. – Sapa